Within the past 6 months or so I connected with Dick Mueller of HealthNation on Linked In. Dick told me about his company and “Telemedicine” which means consultation with a doctor by phone, secure email or video. I was so intrigued by this new twist in technology I just had to share with you, my readers. Gotta love technology.

About Telemedicine

As we all know, America’s healthcare system is in trouble. We spend more on healthcare per capita than any country in the world, yet we rank lower than most industrialized nations in the wellness of our citizens. Now, as millions of new patients enter the system, thousands of primary care doctors are leaving. That makes ACCESS a problem. For those who actually have insurance coverage and for the millions who remain uninsured. And, for ALL patients, costs are escalating.

There’s a little-known solution to the access problem, called Telemedicine — which means consulting a doctor by phone, secure email or video. Telemedicine is ideal for common complaints like sinus problems, flu, allergies, headaches and so on. In other words, the majority of every day health problems.

A Higher Quality of Care

According to recent research, most doctor visits could be handled by phone. In fact, it has been estimated that billions of dollars could be saved every year in emergency room visits.

You may wonder if telemedicine gives the same quality of care as you expect from a doctor’s office. In fact, telemedicine doctors spend on average longer with each patient. What’s more, patients report higher levels of satisfaction than they do visiting a doctor’s office.

At A Glance… Telemedicine

• According to research, around 78% of doctor visits could be handled by phone
• Telemedicine could reduce emergency room visits by 60%, saving almost 60 billion dollars
• 91% of telemedicine consultations result in a resolution with no further action needed
• Telemedicine doctors spend on average 14 minutes per patient, compared with an average of 4 minutes in the doctor’s office
• Patient satisfaction averages 97% with telemedicine compared with 67% for doctor visits

Where To Obtain Telemedicine

Most telemedicine services are only offered as a part of expensive private plans. Without question, the leading provider of top quality telemedicine is HealthNation. HealthNation Connect is designed to be affordable for everyone and offers low, monthly subscriptions.

In The Press

LEE COUNTY, Fla.- A trip to the doctor is going digital. Lee Mental Health is partnering with other agencies to launch an all-new Telemedicine program, allowing a patient to meet with a doctor without ever being in the same room. “It’s our sort of call back to the era of country doctors. When the service went out to people, instead of people having to go out to the service,” Lee Mental Health’s Dr. Donald Baracskay said.

Lee Mental Health just got a $50,000 grant for their Telemedicine program. It will allow patients and doctors to meet through telemedicine. Doctors hope the new technology will speed up treatment time. “One of the biggest problems most people have with treatment has nothing to do with quality. It has everything to do with access. This is a method of improving access for treatment,” Baracskay said Tuesday.

The Telemedicine program is the first of its kind in Lee County, but doctors say it’s going to become a trend. “The fact is, people in younger generations are very keen on using technology such as this. Even earlier today, I made the case that in 10 or 15 years from now, this will be very commonplace in terms of how people get a lot of their treatment,” Baracskay said.

About Dick Mueller, Ph.D.

Throughout his career Dick has always put professionalism and a commitment to be the best at whatever the endeavor at the forefront of his work. HealthNation has been no different. He has poured all of his energy into a desire to provide a real solution to our healthcare crisis.

www.DickMueller.com